Flying control for airplanes



April 26, 1932. J, RANASEY FLYING CONTROLLFOR AIRPLANES Filed Feb. 25, 1931 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 PATENT oFFicE JOHN RANASEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW.YORK

FLYING CONTROL FOR AIRPLANES I Application filed February 25, 1931. Serial No. 518,177.

This-invention. relates to control means for airplanes and aims particularly to provide a unitarycontrol device whereby the operator may manually control the operation of the ailerons, elevators, and rudder.

The primary object of the invention is to centralize in one unit of the wheel control type, means for operating the rudder by hand, instead of by means of foot pedals or a rudder bar, while the conventional stick control movements for the ailerons and elevators are retained.

Airplane control s stems as heretofore constructed have genera ly consisted of two units, one being the stick to actuate both the ailerons and the elevators, and the other being the rudder bar or pedals, which actuate the rudder. This system of control has tended to keep the ilot in a more or less fixed position throug out the flight of the ship. The pilot, of necessity, has had to keep his feet on the rudder bar or pedals throughout the flight, thus rendering the operation tiresome and uncomfortable after any long period. To obviate this disadvantage pedal units, with brakes connected therewith as sub-units, have been employed, but this expedient has had a tendency to confuse the pilot when landing, in that the pilot has been apt to make mistakes such as by actuating both the rudder and the brakes when the occasion has demanded the use of only one or the other. Also, pedals and braking mechanlsms, as more recently employed in aircraft construction, have reached the stage whereby the same have constituteda considerable item in the dead load of the airplane.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the weight, cost of manufacture and engineering operationof airplane control devices, by the elimination of bulky pedals and other complicated arrangements as heretofore employed, while also relieving the pilot of the strain of assuming a fixed position, thereby allowing greater freedom for the movement of the pilots bod by reason'of the freedom from operation 0 foot control devices and also by reason of the additional space provided by the elimination of such foot control devices. 1 o

Still another object of the inventioii is to provide a single wheel control for steering1 the ship in which the ailerons, elevators an rudder may all be operated simultaneously, any two simultaneously while the third is'idle, or any one while the other two are left undisturbed, the single wheel control being adapted to dual operation, as for in-- stance. in instruction airplanes, or planes of the tandem or side by side type.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter specifically pointed out, or will become apparent, as the specification proceeds.

With the above indicated objects in view, 5 the invention resides in certain novel constructions and combinations and arran ement of parts, clearly described in the fol owing specification and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which latter shows an embodiment of the invention as at present preferred.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the present airplane control;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the main control tube taken substantially on the line 22"of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The present unitary control may be constructed in various ways, but in this instance I illustrate the control as including a normallyvertical tubular member 10 having a forked foot piece 11 pivotally connected, as indicated 5 at 12 to a mast 13 having tubular side portions 14 and 15 mounted in bearings 16 and 17 secured to the floor of the'cockpit of the airplane.

The upper part of the vertical tubular member 10 is provided with an operating wheel 18 including right and left hand seg- 'ments 19 and 20, rigidly attached to a sprocket 21 which is pivotally mounted in a forked member at the upper part of the vertical tubular member 10, as indicated at 22. is sprocket member 21 preferably carries a short chain 23, which extends around the sprocket 21, the ends of the chain 23 being connected to the rudder cables 24 and 25, which extend around pulleys 26 and 27 mounted on the pivot pin or bolt 12. The rudder cables 24 and 25 in this instance pass around pulleys 28 and 29, and extend to the rudder spar '30. Thus, to control the rudder 31, the wheel 18 is simply manipulated to right or left, in the same manner as an automobile steering wheel, the cables 24 and 25 effecting the necessary 'control of the rudder 31.

mounted at 36. The elevator mast 35 carries the elevator operating Wires 37 and 38 which are connected to opposite ends of the spar 39 connected to the elevators 40 and 41. Thus, a forward movement of the vertical tubular member 10, about the pivotal point of the bearings 16 and 17, will operate the elevators 40 and 41 in one direction, while a rearward movement of the member 10 will operate the elevators in an opposite direction. This movement will not affect the operation of the rudder operating cables 24 and 25 because the portion of the rudder cables extending through the tubular portion of the mast 13 including the portions 14 and 15 thereof, constitutes an axis, so that no movement of the rudder cables takes place while the elevator cables are being operated, and vice versa.

To conjointly control the ailerons, I pivotally secure upon the tube 10, as indicated at 42, a horizontal forked member 43 which is in turn pivotally connected to a normally vertical rod 44, as indicated at 45, this rod 44 having, in turn, a forked portion 46 pivotally secured to a shaft 47, as indicated at 48. This shaft 47 is rigidly connected to a depending mast 49; and the shaft 47 is mounted in a fixed bearing 50 so that the depending mast 49 may be swung from side to side in accordance with movements of the tubular steering shaft or tube 10, and rods 43 and 44. The depending mast 49 has connected thereto the wires or rods for control of the ailerons 51 and 52, these wires or rods in this instance being designated 53 and 54. These wires 53 and 54 pass around pulleys 55 and 56, and are connected to spars 57 and 58 respectively, connected to the ailerons 51 and 52 respectively; and a compensating cable 59 is passed around suitable pulleys, as indicated at 60, to join the lower ends of the spars 57 and 58. Thus, a movement of the steering shaft or tube 10 to one side or the other will cause movement of one of the ailerons 51 or 52 in one direction, and movement of the opposite Also, the rudder cables 24 and 25 are not disturbed since the steering shaft is rotated fore and aft, using the horizontal portion of the rudder cables between the pulleys 28 and 29 as an axis. Similarly, the rudder cables 24 and 25 and the elevator operating cables 37 and 38 are not disturbed when the aileron operating cables 53 and 54 are moved, since the swinging of the steering shaft 10 about the pivotal point 12 will have no effect upon the rudder operating cables 24 or 25, since no movement of the cables 24 or 25 occurs at the pulleys 26 and 27, and no movement of the elevator operating cables 27 and 28 can occur since this latter movement can only be brought about by movement of the steering. shaft 10 in a forward or rearward direction.

The steering shaft 10, in connection with as to materials, part details, dimensions,

capacities and utilities may have been herein indulged in, but it will be understood that these statements, made with particular reference to that one, and the one now preferred, of the many possible embodiments of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, are not in any way to be taken as definitive or limitative of the invention. Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above constructions, and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language contained in the following claims is intended to cover all'the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

In other words, the scope of protection con- .templated is to be taken solely from the apa fore and aft direction, said steering shaft having a foot piece pivotally connected to the horizontal portion of said mast whereby said steering shaft is movable from side to side, an operating wheel at the upper end of said steering shaft, a rudder, operating connections associated with said rudder and extending to said operating wheel, elevators and operating connections for said elevators, said elevator operating connections being 'connected to said mast whereby said elevators are operable by a fore and aft movement of said steering shaft, ailerons, and means dependent on a side to side movement of said steering shaft for controlling said ailerons, said aileron control means including a horizontal, member pivotally connected to said steering shaft, a vertical rod pivoted to said horizontal member, a horizontal shaft pivotally connected to the lower end of said vertical rod, a depending mast rigidly connected to said horizontal shaft, said shaft'being disposed in a fore and aft direction and having a fixed bearin in which said horizontal shaft is rotata 1e, and devices operatively connecting said depending mast with said ailerons whereby a sidewise movement of said steering shaft will operate said aileron operating devices without disturbing said elevator'cables and rudder operating connections. 4

2. A urritary flying control for airplanes including a steering shaft, mounted for movement in a fore and aft direction and from side to side, an operating wheel at the upper end of said steering shaft, a rudder,wires connected to said rudder and extending through said steering shaft and to said operating wheel, elevators and operating cables for saidelevators, said elevator operating cables being connected to .said steering shaft and being controlled by fore and aft movement of said steering shaft, ailerons, and

means dependent on a side to side movement of said steering ailerons, said aileron-control means including a horizontal forked member pivotally connected to the lower part of said steering shaft, a vertical rod pivoted to said horizontal forked member, a horizontal shaft pivotally connected to the lower end of said vertical rod;- a depending mast rigidly connected to said horizontal shaft, said shaft being disposed in .a fore and aft direction and having a fixed bearing in which said hori- 'zontal shaft is rotatable, and cables operatively connectingsaid depending mast with said ailerons-whereby a sidewise movement shaft for controlling said having a horizontal tubular portion, bearings to support said horizontal tubular portion for movement of said vertical mast in a fore and aft direction, said tubular steering shaft having a forked foot piece pivotally connected to the horizontal portion of said mast whereby said steering shaft is movable from side to side, an operating wheel at the upper end of said steering shaft, a rudder, wires connected to said rudder and extending through the horizontal tubular portion of said mast, and through said tubular steering shaft for operative connection with said operating wheel, elevators and operating cables for said elevators, a rod pivotally connected to the lower end of said mast and to said elevator operating cables,-whereby said elevators are operable by a fore and aft movement of said steering shaft, ailerons, and means dependent on a side to side movement of said steering shaft for controlling said ailerons, said aileron control means including a horizontal forked member pivotally connected to the lower part of' said steering shaft, a vertical rod pivoted to said horizontal forked member, a horizontal shaft pivotally connected to the lower end of said vertical rod,,a depending mast rigidly connected to said horizontal shaft, said shaft being disposed in a fore and aft direction and having a fixed bearing in which said horizontal shaft is rotatable, and cables operatively connecting said depending mast with said ailerons whereby a sidewise movement of said signature. JOHN RANA SEY. 

